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- Gooder Grove Card
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- Gooder Grove Dining Room
Mile 106.1
Elevation 3,772
Miles Hiked 3.6
Hiked out to Rock Gap. It was only about 4 miles from the last shelter. I got a ride into Franklin, NC and checked into Gooder Grove Hostel. This place was constant chaos. The owner had no clue. I had to chase him down to get him to take my money. The smell of “funny” weed permeated the air and some resident hippies were banging on bongos most of the day and night. It was a scene right out of the sixties.
I sort of hooked up with another partner. Deejay Wigley, whose trail name is “Jog Walker,” and I have been hanging out when we meet at shelters or on the trail. She is 72 years old, but in much better shape than me and hikes much faster than I do.
DeeJay and I went into town once we got settled at the hostel. We went out to a shopping center by bus and picked up a few things and also checked out the outfitter in town. Last we ended up at a hiker bar called “Lazy Hiker Brewing Co.” We met up with some other hikers and downed a few beers and just relaxed on what was a very nice if not somewhat cool day.
Once we got back to the hostel, Deejay and I had to find our laundry, which the hostel was supposedly doing for us ($5 cost). No one in charge was at the hostel, so we found the machines and took our clothes out.
Deejay and I were planning our next few days out in the bunk room when to my surprise Bobby McCabe, my original hiking partner, walks in and says hi. Apparently, he got back on the trail and caught up with me, which was easy to do with the zero days I took and short hike days. I asked if he wanted to rejoin me, but he said he was taking a zero day at the hostel. I planned to leave the next morning and so that was that.
